1. Field of the Invention
Method and apparatus for securing stacks of material and mobile homes to the ground, utilizing anchoring plates which are imbedded in the ground, a cable system attached to the anchor plates for covering the material being secured and specific methods of installing the apparatus and tightening the cables.
2. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
There has long been a need for securing stores of material and mobile homes to the ground and protecting them from the elements. In the past, various devices and methods have been used to cover and secure haystacks and the like. As technology and industry have grown, the quantities and the variety of materials which are stored in the out of doors has increased and mobile homes have proliferated. Stacks of materials such as salt, grain and packaged goods are often several hundred feet long and range up to fifty feet high.
While the securing of stacks of loose materials and unitary structures such as mobile homes to the ground involve different and specific design embodiments, the methods and apparatus used are basically quite similar. Referring first to problems encountered in storing loose, stacked material, large stores of materials stored in the out of doors are subject to rain, wind and other forces which tend to move or otherwiwse damage them. In the case of semi-fluid materials such as grain, ores and salts, the large stacks tend to shift and flow quite easily when under the influence of rain or wind. In addition, when such stacks of materials are "worked", i.e., when portions of the stack are removed, the materials tend to redistribute themselves which may cause the stack to shift or collapse.
Since the early days of agriculture, when tarpalins and ropes were utilized to secure a stack of hay to the ground, few changes have been made in the design of apparatus and methods utilized to store stacks of material (e.g. see U.S. Pat. No. 2,635,562; Abramson). The devices which are available are deficient in that they do not effectively seal the stack from rain, do not securely hold the stack in place for long periods, are easily damaged by sustained wind conditions, are secured to the ground by inadequate means and are designed such that it is difficult to work the stack without initially removing the entire securing system. While very innovative devices have been attempted (see U.S. Pat. No. 2,204,781; Wattles), the Applicant is unaware of simple and economical tie-down systems which avoid these deficiencies.
Referring to ground-securing systems for mobile homes and the like, mobile homes are typically lightweight structures which are merely set on a block foundation or a series of block pedestals when they are placed in a mobile home park or the like. As a result, mobile homes are subject to rocking or vibrating in strong winds, can be tipped over by gusty or hurricane winds or can be removed from their foundation by mere impact such as from a recklessly driven vehicle.
While recent developments have been made in the art of securing mobile homes to the ground, many such systems have been complex in their structure and design or have proven expensive and difficult to install. Such systems generally utilize concrete-embedded anchors or auger-type anchors or extensive and complex systems of braces. In addition, such structures have been applied in such a way as to subject the mobile home to damage in cold climates were ground frost frequently causes heaves in the ground or similar displacing forces.